WHO set 2019 activity and screen limits for children under five

The play

On 2 April 2019, the World Health Organization published its Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children under 5 Years of Age, covering three age bands: infants under one year, children one to two years, and children three to four years. Unlike a study of one toy or program, this is a policy document setting recommended daily activity, restraint, screen, and sleep targets across a full 24-hour day, described as retrieved on 16 September 2026 for the figures below.

What the evidence says

A companion WHO news release issued the same month spells out the numbers: infants should be physically active several times a day, mainly through interactive floor-based play, with at least 30 minutes of tummy time for those not yet mobile, and should not be restrained for more than an hour at a stretch; screen time is not recommended for infants. Children aged one to two should get at least 180 minutes of daily physical activity of any intensity; screen time is not recommended at age one, and should be no more than an hour, with less being better, at age two. Children aged three to four should also get at least 180 minutes daily, of which at least 60 minutes should be moderate-to-vigorous activity, with sedentary screen time capped at one hour.

Age fit and safety

WHO states these recommendations apply only to children under five; the guidelines do not set targets for older children, and the document is explicit that its scope stops at that age boundary. Sleep targets are also given by band: 14 to 17 hours for infants aged 0 to 3 months or 12 to 16 hours at 4 to 11 months, 11 to 14 hours for one- and two-year-olds, and 10 to 13 hours for three- and four-year-olds, each including naps.

What to look for

Editorially, these are population-level targets from a global health body, not an individualized prescription, and WHO frames quality sedentary time, being read to or told stories by a caregiver, as a positive alternative to screen time rather than simply a restriction. A caregiver can use the age-band minutes as a general orientation for a day's shape, while treating any single day that falls short as ordinary variation rather than a failure to meet a guideline.

• Does a typical day include stretches of restraint, in a stroller, seat, or carrier, that add up to more than an hour at a time?
• Is screen time, where it happens, within the age-specific limit this guideline states?
• Is sedentary time, when it occurs, filled with reading or talk with a caregiver rather than only a screen?

The guideline gives caregivers concrete, age-banded numbers for activity, restraint, screen time, and sleep, drawn from WHO's own 2019 document, useful as an orientation rather than a daily scorecard.